2009

20 October Use Rails for Trails Sicamous British Columbia - Sicamous' mayor sees a tourism opportunity running parallel along Mara Lake to Grindrod.   Canadian Pacific has announced plans to discontinue and not resume operating the 32-mile stretch of line between Armstrong and Sicamous if a buyer is not found before 7 Dec 2009. In accordance with the Canada Transportation Act, CP has officially put the line up for sale.   "Parties interested in acquiring one or both of these railway lines for the purpose of continuing a railway operation must make their interests known by 3:30 PST on 7 Dec 2009," wrote Marc Shannon, legal services for Canadian Pacific Railway.   There are two stretches of rail between the communities, one totalling 16.1 miles, the other just more than 15 miles. Sicamous Mayor Malcolm MacLeod expressed his interest in the section between Grindrod and Sicamous recently to local MLA George Abbott and Tourism Minister Kevin Krueger.   "We definitely feel, as (Krueger) did also, that it could be a major tourism attraction, the idea of a cycling/walking path along Mara Lake," said MacLeod.   The line has been shut down since 1 Sep 2009, affecting such North Okanagan businesses as Grindrod's Sure Crop Feeds, Enderby's Okanagan Fertilizer, and Spallumcheen's Rogers Foods and Okanagan Aggregates. All four companies used the rail lines to ship and receive materials.   MacLeod says he would like to see the railroad service continue to operate between Grindrod and Armstrong.   "That's a very big part of our economy in the area," said MacLeod, adding that this line could also play a role in a new trail system given that trains travel along it at very slow speeds. "So there's a possibility that if the rail line was taken out between here and Grindrod, and we had a pathway from here to Grindrod, from Grindrod farther south could be another pathway beside the railroad."   If there are no expressions of interest received by 7 Dec 2009, or no agreement to acquire CP's interest in the railway has been entered, CP can offer to transfer the railway lines to the province or municipal governments whose territory the railway lines pass through.   It's believed the asking price for the rail lines is in the ballpark of between $1.5 million and $4 million, depending on whether land and rail tracks are sold separately or together.   "We are interested, but the pricing that has been offered or we think is out there on the table is far, far too high for us to justify at this point," said Dave Pringle, general manager of Sure Crop Feeds. "We will likely show some interest or intention, or at least ask a question to see where they're at to get to a more reasonable rate."   MacLeod says he will be meeting with other stakeholders in the near future to try and determine the fate of the rail line.   "There's going to be some things happening there for sure... We want to keep working on that," said MacLeod.   Lachlan Labere.

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